Door and step mechanism



June 16,'1942. D. E'. AUSTIN v2,286,706

DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM Filed Oct. 1l, 1940 3 SheetS-Sheb 1 Znventor June 16, 1 942.

D E. AUSTIN DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM Filed Oc'... l1., 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bnventor D.` E. AUSTIN` DooR AND STEP MECHANISM June 16, 1942. y

Filed oct. 11, 1940 s sheets-sheet 5 l i I lulklllhruxqLl.

www

Clt'tomegsy Patented June 16, 1942 Siler DUUR AND STEP MECHANISM Dwight E. Austin, Pontiac, Mich., assigner to Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Maine Application October 11, 1940, Serial No. 360,750

' (Cil. 28d-166) 6 claims.

This invention has for its object the provision of an improved passenger bus construction to facilitate the movement of passengers into and out of the coach body. It relates more particularly to the control and operating mechanism for the closure door and retractible step structure and among other things enables the operator to open the door by itself or simultaneously to project an auxiliary step for the accommodation and safety of passengers boarding or leaving the conveyance. f

In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the usual door for the opening in the curb side wall opposite the drivers station closes against a fixed step at the loading platform leadinginto the passenger space and a secondary step is housed out of the way under the step -well to be projected downwardly and outwardly Yto Va convenient height ahead of the' vdoor opening. Use of the secondary step under control of the operator will be unnecessary when the door is opened beside a high city street curb or beside an elevated land` ing at a regular stop station but in the absence of raised landing ground the projection of theV retractible step will serve to decrease step heightdistance from the ground. For simplification of structure the step operating mechanism is arranged to be clutched at will with the door operating mechanism and a single control handle serves as an agency through which the dooris opened and closed either alone or selectivelyin unison with the projection and retraction of the secondary step.

For a more detailed. explanation reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a transverse section of a motor coach at the driverzs station; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional View with parts broken away, showing the door an-d step structure and may be considered as taken on line 2 2 of Figure 3; Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the door and step operating mechanism as viewed on line 3 3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a detail view on line 4--4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 shows the operating handle in section together with a portion at the upper end of a control column assembly; Figure 6 shows thev lower end of the control columnassembly in section as on line 6--6 of Figure 7 and Figure 7 is a transverse section taken on line I-l of Figure 6.

In the several figures all of the parts are shown in the relation they assume with the door open and the auxiliary step retracted. v

As usual the operator is stationed in the front of the vehicle immediately behind the windshield and opposite the curb side as indicated by the position of the steering wheel I in Figure 1. A loading platform-2 beside the operator leads to the passenger seating space with a step well providing a fixed step 3 immediately adjacent the side wall opening at the curb. This opening at the front of the vehicle serves for either or both the loading and unloadingof passengers and is closed by the conventional door structure i hinged to the coach alongits forward edge.

The inner panel of the door contains a slot leading to a guide track for a pair of rollers 6 carried on the end of a swinging door operating lever 'or bell crank I which is so arranged as to provide a grab rail for the assistanceof passengers moving through the 'door opening. The door operating lever I projects through an opening in a cover or trim panel 9 and is pivotally mounted at an intermediatepoint on a vertical pin carried by the mounting bracket IQ. Its inner arm is joined by a pivot pin II to an adjustable clevis on the outer end of a transverse connecting rod I2 concealed behind the appearance panel 9 and provided at its inner end with a, connecting head I3 having forwardly extending ears secured by a pin ifi to a rock leverl I5 forming a part of a vertical control column assembly which also includes a series 0i concentric nested tubes I6, Il and I8.

The outermost column tube l5 is a fixed or stationary housing and spacer mounted at its lower end in a supporting bracket i9 and provided with needle rollerfbearing assemblies ,20 at its upper and lower ends in which* the intermediate tube or hollow shaft Il is rockably mounted. At its lower end the rockshaft Il is welded or otherwise secured to the rock lever I5 and at it upper end has fixedly secured thereto the split contractible end of a laterally projecting lever 2| as best seen in Figure 5. The free end of the lever 2| has a split contractible eye supporting a pivot pin 22 on an axis transverse of and radially spaced from the axis of the rockshaft I'I and on which is pivotally secured the lever or handlel 23. Secured to the handle 23 by a fastening bolt 24 is an antifriction bearing assembly 25 for a freely rotatable knob or handball 26 within easy reach of the 'operator adjacent the steering wheel I.

When the open door Il is to be closed the operator grasps the knob 2'6 and swings the lever 23 away from him or toward the right which movement is transmitted through the vertical control shaft I'I t0 the rock lever I5 at the bottom of the control assembly and through the transverse connecting rod I2 to the bell crank 1 and thereby swings the door 4 into closed position against the fixed step 3. The door is actuated to open position through the motion transmitting linkage referred to, when the handle 23 is swung back toward the driver. In either limit of travel an over center relation is established to hold the door against accidental displacement by pressure applied directly thereto. The over center relation will be best appreciated from an inspection of Figure 3 where it will be noted that a line drawn through the pivot pins I4 and I I will extend forward of the axis of the rockshaft Il. To define the opposite limits of movement of the rock lever I5, its opposite sides are provided with abutment faces 2.1-21 for engagement with stops 2li- 2B carried by the stationary bracket I9.

Normally pocketed beneath the step 3 is the secondary step structure 29 which in general includes a tread plate on a U-shaped or box member whose side walls terminate on a diagonal line with outturned fianges which rest upon and are secured by Welding or the like to a pair of channeled rails or track bars 33 and 3| extending diagonally upwardly on opposite sides of the step well. Each of the channel sectioned rails opens outwardly and is mounted for relative sliding movement outwardly and downwardly on a pair of spaced rollers 32, fastened as seen in Figure 4, on a trunnion stud 33 to the coach structure. The outward and downward sliding movement referred to, projects the step to the dotted line position as seen in Figure 2 just ahead of the door opening and immediately below the fixed step 3.

Operation of the step concurrently with door operation is effected through suitable linkage including a rockshaft 3ft located beneath the loading platform 2 by a pair of bearing brackets 35. At its rearward end and in line with the guiding and supporting rail 30, the rockshaft SII- carries a lever arm 3l whose free end is connected by a link 38 with a bracket 39 on the inner end of the guide rail 35. Similarly the companion guide rail 3l has its end bracket il joined by a link 4I with another lever I2 keyed on the rockshaft 34 so that as the rock levers 3? and 52 ar swung with the shaft, their movement is transmitted through the links 38 and 4I to project or retract the step structure. At its forward end and beyond the trim panel 9, the rockshaft 35 is fixed to a lever 4.3 whose free end is joined by the link 44 to the lower arm of a vertical rock lever 45 mounted on a suitable trunnion 4S. The upper arm of the lever 65 is connected by a jointed coupling member 4l with the outer end of a connecting rod 58. located immediately below the door operating rod I2 and provided at its inner end with a coupling head i9 secured by a pivot pin 56 to a rock lever 5I at the base of the control assembly. A headed fastening stud 52 secures the lever 5I to the stationary bracket I3 and provides the fulcrum therefor, there being a needle roller assembly 53 between the parts to reduce friction.

In the space between the rock levers I' and I5 is an axially shiftable member 54 welded or otherwise secured to the innermost tube or shift rod I8 whose lower end is piloted inthe upper end of the fastening stud 52. This axially shiftable member 54 has f'lxedly secured thereto a-pair of spaced axially extending clutchingpins 55 each ofwhich is slidably received within the rock lever 5I, with at least one of the pins having its lower 'end projectible into locking relation with an aligned recess in the fixed bracket I9, whereby to hold the step operating lever 5I against rotation, Each pin also has its upper end projected above the member 54 so that it can be shifted into locking engagement with a receiving recess drilled into the under face of the rock lever I5. By reason of the relation of parts illustrated, the clutching pins 55 upon being lifted by the member 54 will move out of locking engagement with the stationary bracket I9 and into locking engagement with the lever I5 for keying the step operating lever with the door operating lever. The axial shifting of the parts is transmitted by the rod IB from the hand lever 23 under control of the operator through the interconnection shown in Figure 3 wherein the lever 23 is provided with a transverse pin 55 fitted to a slot in the head of a stud 51 swivelly secured, as by means of screw threads, in the upper end of the shift rod I8.

In the retracted position of the step the weight of the column parts maintains the clutch pins 55 in locking relation to the bracket I9 and the coupling of the step and door operating mechanisms is effected when the operator lifts the clutching parts by depressing the hand knob 26 to move the hand lever 23 about its pivot pin 22 as indicated by the broken line in Figure 5. If the hand lever is both depressed and swung through its door opening path the step will be projected in unison with the movement of the door so that at the will of the operator the mechanism can be actuated either to open the door by itself or simultaneously to open the door and project the step to take care of the various situations encountered in the normal travel of a road vehicle with reference to landing height and ground levels.

I claim:

1. In combination, door and step operating mechanisms, a manually operated rockshaft fixedly connected with the door operating mechanism, a manually controlled clutch device having two positions of setting and being engageable with the step operating mechanism in both positions. an anchoring member engageable by said clutch device upon shifting the clutch device selectively to one of said positions and clutch engaging means connected with the rockshaft and engageable by said clutch device upon shifting the clutch device selectively to the other of said,

positions.

2. A control assembly for door and step operating mechanismsV including a pair of concentric nested shafts, one of which is rockable and has fixed connection to one of said mechanisms, a hand lever for rocking said shaft, means pivotally mounting the hand lever on the rockshaft on an axis: transversely related to and radially spaced from the axis of the rockshaft, means for transmitting movement of the lever about said transverse axis to shift the other shaft axially and a clutch controlled by said axially shiftable shaft to couplethe rockshaft with the other of said mechanisms.

3. Inv combination with a closure door and a retractible step, of a rockshaft having an operating handle at one end, a rocking member mounted at the opposite end of the rockshaft and connected with the door, a second rocking member connectedV with the step', a supporting bracket pivotally mounting the step rocking member in neighboring relation with the door rocking member and in coaxial relation with the rockshaft and a clutch key slidably engaged with the step rocking member and shiftable in opposite directions to engage at one end with the door rocking member when shifted in one direction and to engage at its opposite end with the support-l ing bracket when shifted in the other direction.

4. A control assembly for door and step operating mechanisms, including a rockshaft arranged for operative connection with one of said mechanisms, a lever mounting member rigid with the shaft, a hand lever pivotally connected with said lever mounting member on a transversely extending axis spaced radially of the shaft axis, asecond shaft connected with said lever for relative axial shifting movement and a clutch controlled by the shifting of the second shaft for operatively coupling the first shaft with the other of said mechanisms.

5. A control assembly for door and step operating mechanisms, including a stationary bracket, a pair of rock levers pivotally mounted in tandem Y by said bracket on a common axis and connected to said mechanisms, respectively, a clutch pin axially slidable in one of said levers with opposite ends projectible in alternate relation into and out of locking recesses in the stationary bracket to lock the lever against movement and in the other lever to lock the levers together for movement in unison.

6. A control assembly for door and step operating mechanisms, including a rockshaft having a rock lever fixed at its lower end for connection with one of said mechanisms, a stationary bracket providing a locating bearing for the shaft, a second lever mounted in the bracket and connected with the other of said mechanisms, an axially shiftable member keyed to the last mentioned lever with arprojecting portion for clutch connection with the rst mentioned lever, an operating rod for the member arranged in concentric nested relation with said rockshaft and an actuating handle operatively connected to both the shaft and the rod and arranged to control the axial adjustment of the rod and the rocking movement of the shaft.

DWIGHT E. AUSTIN. 

